4,000 pilots needed in next 5 years in China

At the International General Aviation Convention in Northwest China's Shaanxi province, many companies have increased training to meet the growing demand.[Photo / english.cntv.cn]

China's general aviationindustry is developing at a rapid pace. But the sector is lacking thousands of pilots to help the industry take off.

At the International General Aviation Convention in Northwest China's Shaanxi province, many companies have increased training to meet the growing demand. 

Flying has always been Wu You's dream, so he decided to get a private pilot license. He believed it would bring him a promising future.

Wu You, a pilot trainee, said, "After being a qualified pilot, I can do a lot of jobs including flight tours to tourism destinations, personal flight training and air mapping. Unlike civil aviation, General aviation has many more choices."

The flight school Wu You trained at can only produce around 20 qualified pilots per year.

At the International General Aviation Convention in Northwest China's Shaanxi province, many companies have increased training to meet the growing demand. 

It is estimated that there are fewer than 2000 general aviation pilots in China, while there are 750 thousand in the United States.

Li Chen, General Manager of Jinggong General Aviation Corporation, said, "One reason is that many domestic flight schools have limited training resources.The other reason is the current general aviation field has less economic benefits than that of civil aviation, so many pilots are reluctant to stay in general aviation."

While in Sweden many pilots prefer general aviation.

This is the third time, Jacob and his teammates have attended the flight show in China.

"General aviation pilot is …" Said Jacob Hollander, Airshow Pilot of Scandianavian Airshow AB.

As China pledges more reforms to promote the fast development of the general aviation industry, foreign companies have increased their cooperation with domestic companies to gain more market share in the sector.

In the next 5 years, it is estimated that more than 4000 pilots are needed in the country's general aviation sector.